Maggie et al., Your absolutely correct on the contamination transfer issue and the importance of getting that issue recognized in such papers and discussions. In my original post on this subject (thread), I mentioned that I still have not figured out what to do with the contaminated oyster meat. About the only long term disposal would be in deep wells or run through a plasma incinerator <http://www.wired.com/2012/01/ff_trashblaster/> equipped with an extensive emissions filtration system.
However, oyster RAS systems may offer the best approach to trapping the contaminates and we need to come up with some form of profit incentive to spark building such systems globally. A large number of high level analyses are pointing to the sewage contamination issue as a top environmental, human health care, and policy issue. Also, it is important to make clear that not all oyster (or mariculture in general) will be contaminated and that the advanced cultivation technology now available and in current use can deliver both environmental and nutrient benefits on a global scale. Bringing this technology to the global scale is the lowest hanging fruit in the geoengineering spectrum as cheaper/better food and cleaner waters are critical to improving the global carbon balance (or imbalance). Michael *Michael Hayes* On Wed, Mar 9, 2016 at 5:46 AM, Maggie Zhou <[email protected]> wrote: > 1. Has anyone bothered to contact the authors of the paper (or the journal > editors) that Andrew sent out at the beginning of this thread (growing > oysters to sequester C)? They need to be informed of their > misunderstanding of the ocean chemistry regarding carbon. > > 2. Municipal water treatment is (or at least should be) about getting rid > of far more than organic matter and nutrients in the waste water. There > are heavy metals, toxic industrial compounds including persistent > pesticides, and radioactive material (diluted and discharged, as following > the hare-brained doctrine "the solution to pollution is dilution"), etc. > This whole aspect of decontamination seems to be missing in the upbeat > papers about growing food to feed more people out of waste water. > > Maggie > > > > > On Tuesday, March 8, 2016 7:27 PM, Michael Hayes <[email protected]> > wrote: > > > Greg et al., > > Concerning your question "*On what basis: per m^2, per mol of photons, > per $ invested??? Do you mean aquaculture?*": The exact technology which > I'm referring to is *Recirculating Aquaculture Systems* (RAS). Below is a > 5 yo paper which covers the basic technology and evaluates the benefits. In > the last 5 years, however, there have been further technical improvements > which have raised the basic profit profile and reduced cultivation > complexities as well as increased overall environmental sustainability. > > Principle actors in the aqua-protein market, such as Tyson Seafood, are > expanding their use of RAS and have started using a fully circular method > in which the fish solid waste is used to grow microalgae which, in turn, is > used to feed copepods-kril which are then used as fish feed. Currently, it > is a 1:1 feed to fish pound ratio yet they hope to get below that level > soon. It is my belief that once these advanced RAS operations begin to be > established on the ocean surface (or below it), The environmental > sustainability and profits will significantly increase as the oceans offer > easily converted renewable energy, passive thermal support, free > spacial accommodation, fewer regulatory burdens, as well as an abundance > (if not an over abundance) of nutrients to drive the primary production. > > > New developments in recirculating aquaculture systems in Europe: > Aperspective on environmental sustainability > <http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00021/13190/10273.pdf> > > C.I.M. Martinsa, b, *, E.H. Edinga , M.C.J. Verdegema , L.T.N. Heinsbroeka > , O. Schneiderc , J.P. Blanchetond , E. Roque d’Orbcasteld and J.A.J. > Verretha a Aquaculture and Fisheries Group, Wageningen University, P.O. Box > 338, 6700 AH, Wageningen, The Netherlands b CCMAR – Centro de Ciências do > Mar, Universidade do Algarve, Campus de Gambelas, P-8005-139, Faro, > Portugal c IMARES, Korringaweg 5, 4401 NT Yerseke, The Netherlands d > IFREMER, Station d’Aquaculture Expérimentale, Laboratoire de Recherche > Piscicole de Méditerranée, Chemin de Maguelone, 34250 Palavas-les-Flots, > France *: Corresponding author : C.I.M. Martins, Tel.: +351 289 > 800900x7167; fax: +351 289 800051, email address : [email protected] > > *‘Producing more food from the same area of land while reducing the > environmental impacts requires what has been called sustainable > intensification‘ wrote Godfray et al. (2010) in a recent review about the > challenge of feeding 9 billion people. The key question is how can more > food (in the scope of this review, more fish) be produced sustainably? > Considering all aquaculture production systems in use today, RAS offers the > possibility to achieve a high production, maintaining optimal environmental > conditions, securing animal welfare, while creating a minimum ecological > impact. At present, the use of RAS is growing in Europe, for grow-out of > freshwater (eel and catfish) and marine species (turbot, seabass and sole) > but also for fingerling production of both freshwater and marine species. > Recent research aiming to improve water treatment efficiency > (denitrification reactors, sludge thickening technologies and ozone) allows > reducing water refreshment rates, creating nearly closed systems, producing > a small quantity of an easy to treat and valuable waste product for use in > IAA or IMTA systems. Despite the recent developments that will certainly > foster the environmental sustainability of RAS, the potential accumulation > of substances in the water as a consequence of reduced water refreshment > rates may pose new challenges. A deeper understanding of the interaction > between the fish and the system will help facing these challenges. * > > In reviewing the RAS technology, please keep in mind that: > > *1) large diameter HDPE culvert pipelines can be used as completely > enclosed circular RAS raceways and, as a side benefits,* > > * a) due to the dual walled construction, this type of RAS farm would > be float-able and offer built-in buoyancy control chambers* > * b) HDPE has the lowest bio-fouling properties of all plastics tested to > date.* > * c) HDPE can use up to 40% of post consumer plastic and is well > recognized as food quality plastic* > > > <https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/36Q2i6FGcMCMRL6SQDo3yjVSeKwYVf9ga1jVK1n8fynnNWTIYC2eVPONMbUmneSFg3tous3vqCaSRu96VcMyRWYiZ6dLha7GPi_Afpy399F8XrQbV4ZpGYi3uQFE9JvZ-9PwPHzk3YVlznwaucyQVZnazsGmthY8cB1E5wL9g7ND2aqF5ebmnRkrOrYPvv0C-QC6tB7OVsC6n5OHBuzV06GweUx06F0-gocdKrPtFWLJ3Mvt2YuFaGvLTL1cCJ1O88R_DOnLDUBIuKGC-QJP7skBXrYlSvZKjEBauIpv_VnJA9gfITZqfsJwDDeS2cm3BYCoXwpWurlcd1dtI9EqebCT5OLJj8zRQkHlJveGahMtehsqJH6mOi7qIpEZDfVpJ6TyCUuGspekIafhebPjgbZH7x0whhftIC2Cr8RS_-UlmukQ0RhGKcRmYYsFIaG_43gBVjO5-w-BZnZNNcwDK5125qfkfgVtNlugmImaeI9Y7eOycirEdYX7qnCOWzpXPsdve8O3iEuyJF1goYPztvhG4-vgabbx_tddfSUfWBl8c_xlFceciZnb-8eCamfhlBV5=w1145-h623-no> > > > <http://image.ec21.com/image/beenlexing/oimg_GC08338755_CA08357753/ISO_Standard_HDPE_Double_Wall_Corrugated_Pipe.jpg> > > > > *2) these off-the-self HDPE pipeline based ocean RAS farms can be used on > or below the surface of the oceans thus allowing for passive thermal > control, avoidance of high sea wave stresses, and can be 'stacked' down to > the depth tolerance of the cultivar and thus use minimal surface area. This > makes the use of m2 in the calculations difficult. The use of internal > pipeline/raceway volume may be best. Also, as the farms would be > using artificial light and/or chemosynthesis and that ocean energy > conversion will be used to provide energy for those functions, > the efficiency of the conversion method should replace the mole/photon > aspect of the equation. The Salter Duck has a >90% wave energy conversion > rating.* > > > *3) such oceanic farms can be platforms for a number of other profitable > operations such tourism, seafloor mining, CO2 sea floor injection etc.* > > *Example a) *An Idea to Connect Vertically with the Deep Sea > <http://www.shimz.co.jp/english/theme/dream/oceanspiral.html> > > <http://www.shimz.co.jp/english/theme/dream/images/oce_img001.jpg> > > *Example b) *The Botanical City Concept > <http://www.shimz.co.jp/english/theme/dream/greenfloat.html> > > <http://www.shimz.co.jp/english/theme/dream/images/gre_img006.jpg> > > > *4) and large scale RAS ocean farming operations would offer excellent > platforms for programs which lack basic profit potential such as MCB, > water pH adjustment, passive and active surface cooling through shading and > use of deep water for systems cooling, CO2 and nutrient capture etc.* > > > In brief, advanced RAS oceanic platforms offer a technical and profit > foundation for other profit based mitigation businesses as well as > non-profitable mitigation operations while also allowing for > non-relevant businesses interests such as tourism. If you want to help make > sure an oceanic RAS farm is profitable, build a casino on top of it:) > > Greg, I'm sure you, yourself, know of the many downstream products that > are possible with the production of algae; However, for those that have not > studied the technology, I'm including a simple graphic showing just how > extensive the list of potential micro-algal based products are. And the > below list is not exhaustive (i.e. Biochar is not included). > > > <https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/3awar7VmwyUsrrXeTUfC3uYjP5O4vffLUAX60ak1dceVu9I81n2-8Ckl6SWWQe_3eiffyL77YIB4qiEGtV9XyZ0uVEM0CgBrXeR9HSZDJ5c5XWOUEZVE-fWoy6A4VmS6KnF_uPpzTpJt4fWnSjSjvkwajjsnB3BWhCna3rrt-TvtYCWn2HQMNQAMdL_3LeN6Qkdbpw9fJWXa6hW7X106CoSZFYEwLxSBwpNySJfnmR997RbetpantyNfVxWQSqEkRRUrxFVe9O8-xteHbbmwUPpJBoWQLAi-Q1AdqzLiA4h9DbkcuU0mky8zx8Aq4UdZK8O406v68I6ABTlbJ7C6GMaeBy-kL6hALUvq3OVH9qxMptb5Gb47e7lNkxks0meYzBaJT1j_IFK8l9De_CwHF1w9P8kxqcdjFtooRK-QzTSrMj7JBT0qNmvTTtTOgnUTSczEgyFsoIfzn-5bNBagc6GplM2gCG6hTcOOhWKKiKOsLriZExaOpJNbMtGDbxxWF4cxwpYmAb4rEfoypLCLJN-5LXE5wfWG3Xd2FqLzJSShIHf2syQLAuVJuzBPl2qGoLpN=w569-h353-no> > To conclude, taken as a whole and as a part of a larger sustainability and > efficiency technical plan, oceanic RAS based mariculture offers an > important base to work from in the creation of an overall profitable > approach to a multifaceted and extensive climate change mitigation and > adaptation effort. > > Greg, thanks for the links and insights...as usual. > > *Andrew,* if the oysters were grown in an enclosed and submerged HDPE > pipeline bases designed RAS operation, the oyster's solid waste could be > collected and then used to grow microalgae which could then be used to > produce carbon negative products. The algae grown in such a way, even > operations positioned directly over sewage discharge pipes, could supply > globally significant and sustainable supplies of biofuel and biochar can be > produced from the post lipid extraction biomass. That combination > represents an important roadmap to negative emission on a significant scale > while reducing sewage contamination of our coastal waters and/or supplying > carbon negative protein. > > However, thank you for the link. > > Michael > > > On Friday, March 4, 2016 at 5:21:50 PM UTC-8, Greg Rau wrote: > > Well, grinding up CaCO3 and adding to the ocean has been considered, but > unless and until this hits water that is significantly more acidic and > carbonate undersaturated than typical surface seawater, not much will > happens: http://onlinelibrary.wiley. com/doi/10.1029/2007JC004373/ > abstract > <http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2007JC004373/abstract> > > Adding to high CO2 wastewater streams might be effective. > > From a CO2 management standpoint, I would think that non-calcifying > consumers of waste water organics would do a less impactful clean up job > that would CO2-generating calcifiers like oysters. > > Then there is a hybrid microbial+geochemical method of wastewater, CO2, > and energy management that might be the most area-efficient, cost effective > and beneficial of all?: http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/ > 10.1021/acs.est.5b00875 > <http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acs.est.5b00875> > > "seafood production is our most efficient and sustainable protein source" > On what basis: per m^2, per mol of photons, per $ invested??? Do you mean > aquaculture? > > Greg > > > > ------------------------------ > *From:* Michael Hayes <[email protected]> > *To:* geoengineering <geoengi...@googlegroups. com> > *Cc:* [email protected]; [email protected]; > [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected] > > *Sent:* Friday, March 4, 2016 4:51 PM > *Subject:* Re: Re[2]: [geo] carbon sequestration by oysters > > Greg, would not grinding the shells down to micro size and sending the > material back to the water effectively accomplish your view that "On the > other hand, reverse this reaction and you might have something:"? > > In general, seafood production is our most efficient and > sustainable protein source and oysters in particular are our best hope of > cleaning up the human sewage we're mainlining into our estuaries > and coastal seas. There are no major environmental issues with using large > scale oyster farms in direct association with municipal waste systems. The > only question would be what would be done with the contaminated meat. > > Cleaning up the sewage would have multiple positive effects on the C > capture and sequestration function of our coastal oceans as well as human > health and those positive effects need to be factored into this debate. > I've just finished reading 'Environmental Governance of the Great Seas: > <https://www.e-elgar.com/shop/environmental-governance-of-the-great-seas?___website=uk_warehouse>Law > and Effect > <https://www.e-elgar.com/shop/environmental-governance-of-the-great-seas?___website=uk_warehouse>' > (Joseph F.C. DiMento, Alexis Jaclyn Hickman) and the authors clearly > point out, case after case, how sewage is causing havoc at the > environmental, health and even policy levels. Beyond banning sewage > discharge (which will not happen in our lifetime), what better way do we > have in cleaning this up than using oysters? > > Michael > > > > On Thursday, March 3, 2016 at 11:06:43 AM UTC-8, Greg Rau wrote: > > Further questionable shells-as-CO2-management advocacy here: > http://www.thefishsite.com/ articles/615/carbon- > sequestration-potential-of- shellfish/ > <http://www.thefishsite.com/articles/615/carbon-sequestration-potential-of-shellfish/> > http://earthtechling.com/2016/ 03/could-oyster-shells- sequester-carbon/ > <http://earthtechling.com/2016/03/could-oyster-shells-sequester-carbon/> > > As Oliver points out, typical marine CaCO3 formation generates CO2 at the > expense of dissolved seawater calcium and bicarbonate ions: Ca(HCO3)2aq > ---> CaCO3s + CO2g + H2O. On the other hand, reverse this reaction and you > might have something: > http://climatecolab.org/ contests/2012/electric-power- > sector/c/proposal/1304174 > <http://climatecolab.org/contests/2012/electric-power-sector/c/proposal/1304174> > http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/ 10.1021/es102671x > <http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/es102671x> > > You can consume CO2 and generate marine CO3s by adding an externally > derived source of alkalinity, e.g. silicate minerals, kinetics permitting. > However, my preference here would be to generate dissolved bicarbonates. > This about doubles the carbon stored per mol of alkalinity added, while the > dissolved form helps counter the bio effects of ocean acidification. > > Then there is the Franz's angle that shellfish consume and repackage > plankton in a way that better sequesters this carbon and keeps it from > regenerating CO2. This is probably true, but how big is this carbon pool > relative to the CO2 generated above and generated by shellfish respiration > that is the largest fate of plankton C consumed by shellfish? In general > then, aren't shellfish net sources of CO2, and don't shellfish producers > and consumers then need to be taxed according? ;-) > > Greg > > > > ------------------------------ > *From:* Oeste <[email protected]> > *To:* [email protected]; [email protected]; geoengineering > <geoengi...@googlegroups. > com> > *Cc:* Renaud de RICHTER <[email protected]> > *Sent:* Wednesday, March 2, 2016 5:37 AM > *Subject:* Re[2]: [geo] carbon sequestration by oysters > > Completion of the argument from Oliver Tickell against oyster farming in > the ocean or shelf might induce the opposite result: > > Oysters are filter feeders within the food chain. They remove all kind of > suspended matter from the water column inklusive phytoplankton, > phytoplankton detritus, clay particles and bacteria. They produce faeces in > the shape of rather solid pellets containing organic C plus carbonate and > silicate shells of the phytoplankton plus some clay. The faeces > pellets become much faster sedimented than the suspended matter they did > feed with. This might be the reason that oysters induce a lower loss of > debris oxidation and dissolution to CO2 and/or HCO3- on their way down as > without the oyster action. The CaCO3 shell debris of dead oysters becomes > as well part of the sediment. These and similar processes of food chain > dependence turn ocean sediments into organic and inorganic C storages. > > Have a look at an fictive ocean containing a food chain composed only of > phytoplankton and bacteria: Organic and inorganic waste of phytoplankton > sinks down to the sediment very slowly: The organic debris would > be consumed complete by bacteria during the slow sinking of the debris, > even the slow sinking small CaCO3 and SiO2 shells of the > phytoplankton might even come to complete dissolution on their way down. > > This would result in an ocean much more acidified and probable with much > more oxygen deficient zones than any ocean habitat containing oysters and > further parts of the recent food chain. All sediments within the deeper > ocean basins below the calcium carbonate compensation depth would be free > of any inorganic and organic C. > > Franz D. Oeste > > ------ Originalnachricht ------ > Von: "Oliver Tickell" <[email protected]> > An: [email protected]; "geoengineering" <geoengi...@googlegroups. com> > Gesendet: 02.03.2016 10:30:25 > Betreff: Re: [geo] carbon sequestration by oysters > > > There seems to be a fundamental error in this analysis. Far from > sequestering CO2, this process emits CO2 to the atmosphere according to the > reaction: > > Ca++ + 2HCO3- => CaCO3 + CO2 > > In the process depleting ocean alkalinity. > > Oliver. > > On 01/03/2016 22:27, Andrew Lockley wrote: > > > http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/ pubmed/25796916 > <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25796916> > Ying Yong Sheng Tai Xue Bao. 2014 Oct;25(10):3032-8. > Estimation and experiment of carbon sequestration by oysters attached to > the enhancement artificial reefs in Laizhou Bay, Shandong, China > Gong PH, Li J, Guan CT, Li MJ, Liu C. > Abstract > Through sampling investigation of fouling organisms on the enhancement > artificial reefs set up in Laizhou Bay, it was proved that oyster (Ostrea > plicatula) was the dominant fouling species. Therefore the dry mass of > shell (Ms), total fresh mass (Mt) and thickness (T) of oyster attached on > the reefs were analyzed. The results showed that the Mt and Ms presented > seasonal variation (P < 0.01), that is, the values were the lowest in April > and the highest in December. The reef age and the length of the time the > enhancement reefs placed in the sea had significant effect on Mt, Ms and T. > With the increment of reef ages, all indices increased obviously. The > carbon sinks of oysters attaching to the tube enhancement reefs constructed > in 2009, 2010 and 2011 in Laizhou Bay were 17.61, 16.33 and 10.45 kg · > m(-3), respectively. The oysters on the enhancement reefs of Jincheng > marine ranch with an area of 64.25 hm2 had fixed carbon of 297.5 t C > (equivalent to 1071 t of CO2) from 2009 to 2013 in Laizhou Bay. To capture > and store the same amount of CO2 would cost about 1.6 x 10(5)-6.4 x 10(5) > US dollars. Therefore, oysters attaching to the enhancement reefs bring > about remarkable ecological benefits. > PMID: 25796916 > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "geoengineering" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to geoengineerin...@ googlegroups.com. > To post to this group, send email to geoengi...@googlegroups. com. > Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/ group/geoengineering > <https://groups.google.com/group/geoengineering>. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/ optout > <https://groups.google.com/d/optout>. > > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "geoengineering" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to geoengineerin...@ googlegroups.com. > To post to this group, send email to geoengi...@googlegroups. com. > Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/ group/geoengineering > <https://groups.google.com/group/geoengineering>. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/ optout > <https://groups.google.com/d/optout>. > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "geoengineering" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to geoengineerin...@ googlegroups.com. > To post to this group, send email to geoengi...@googlegroups. com. > > Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/ group/geoengineering > <https://groups.google.com/group/geoengineering>. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/ optout > <https://groups.google.com/d/optout>. > > > > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "geoengineering" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. > Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/geoengineering. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. > > > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "geoengineering" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/geoengineering. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
